The Muhammadan Litanies

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The Muhammadan Litanies :
'Prayers Upon the Prophet Muhammad, ?,
for Invocation and Reflection,'
*[A5] Flexi Cover - 352 pages,
from the works of Shaykh Yusuf al-Nabahani,
Translated and Edited by Abdul Aziz Suraqah,
Published by Ibriz Media.

Description :

The Muhammadan Litanies is a collection of seventy invocations of prayer upon the Prophet Muhammad, Allah bless him and give him peace, starting with prayers taught by the Prophet himself, followed by prayers transmitted by his Household (Ahl al-Bayt) and Companions, and prayers from the early generations (Salaf) and the famous—and not so famous—saints and knowers of Allah and His Beloved, Allah bless him and give him peace.

Each prayer is followed by a description of its source and merits, and—for the prayers of the gnostics—a description of the saint from whom it was taken, where the author received it or read it, and a discussion on its unique properties (khawwas) and the purposes or intentions for which it can be read.

              " After the Prophet described the extreme famine that will occur
                shortly before the appearance of the Anti-Christ (Dajjal), some
                of his Companions asked, “What will the people live on at that
                time?” The Prophet, Allah bless him & give him peace, replied,
               "Utterances of La ilaha illa Allah, AllahuAkbar, subhanAllah, and
                al-hamdulillah''— that will take the place of food for them.”-
                (Ibn Majah, Sunan). We understand from this that an essential
                means to spiritually nourish and protect ourselves in the latter
                days is to adopt a daily and nightly litany consisting of recitation
                of the Qur'an, Prophetic supplications, and prayers upon the
                Prophet Muhammad, Allah bless him and give him peace,
                uttered with love, yearning, awe, and presence of heart."

The Muhammadan Litanies is meant to be read as a daily or weekly litany, though each prayer can also be read as a standalone prayer either in unlimited number or for specific numbers. The spiritual power of these prayers upon the Prophet, Allah bless him and give him peace, is palpable to anyone reads them just once, so how much more purifying, uplifting, and spiritually edifying they will be for the one who takes them as a regular litany through each day of the week, or adopts a few as a part of his or her daily invocations and remembrance!

The majority of this work comes from Shaykh Yusuf al-Nabahani’s famed Afdal al-salawat ‘ala Sayyid al-Sadat (The Most Superior Prayers upon the Master of Masters), though I have also made use of al-Nabahani’s larger work Sa’dat al-darayn fi al-salat ‘ala Sayyid al-Kawnayn (Felicity in the Two Abodes through Prayers upon the Master of the Two Realms), as well as his Jami’ al-salawat (Compendium of Prayers).

The prayers contained in this collection are lessons in proper belief, ‘aqida, and so it is necessary to learn, absorb, and realize the deep spiritual meanings and realities conveyed within them. To that end, alongside the translation of the prayers are explanatory footnotes to expound upon the their spiritual alchemy, their metaphysics, and the Muhammadan Realities contained within them.

          ''Contemplate these prayers, witness their secrets and lights unfold
               in your life, let them carry you and transform you into a receptacle
               of Muhammadan Love and yearning, Muhammadan character and
               concern, Muhammadan purity.'' _{---Shaykh Abdul Aziz Suraqah}.

Imam Yusuf b. Isma‘il al-Nabahani, may Allah be pleased with him, (1265–1350 AH), hadith scholar, Sufi, jurist, judge, and biographer, was born in Beirut, Lebanon. A prolific author, al-Nabahani left behind a staggering collection of works in hadith, fiqh, theology, and most famously, poetry and prose in praise of our Master Muhammad, may Allah bless him and grant him peace. Al-Nabahani was a paragon of prophetic love (‘ishq) and his works continue to exercise a profound influence on popular Muslim spirituality.

Highly Recommended!!!

Table of Contents :

---Foreword by Ibrahim ibn Muhammad Hakim al-Shaghouri al-Shadhuli,
---Foreword by Shaykh Muhammad Aslam,

---Preface,
------How to Read this Work,
---Acknowledgements,
---Biography of Shaykh Yusuf al-Nabahani,
------His Teachers,
------Shaykh Yusuf al-Nabahani's Career,
------His Written Works,
---Introduction.

Section One :
---Sending Prayers Upon the Prophet, ?,
-----Meanings, Virtues, and Rulings,
-----[1]. Interpretation of the verse (Verily Allah and His Angels send Prayers upon the Prophet. O You who Believe, send Prayers upon him and Salute him with abundant Greetings of Peace) _{[Al-Qur'an 33:59]}.
--------The Obligation of Sending Prayers upon the Prophet, ?,
--------Point of Benefit,
--------Another Point of Benefit,
--------Nota Benne,
-----[2]. Hadith reports that encourage sending Prayers upon the Prophet, ?,
-----[3]. Hadith reports that encourage sending Prayers upon the Prophet, ?, on Friday and the evening preceding it, and an explanation of its wisdom,
-----[4]. Hadith reports that encourage sending plentiful Prayers upon the Prophet, ?, along with a discussion on Seeing the Prophet, ?, in a wakeful state,
-----[5]. Hadith reports that mention the Prophet's intercession, ?, for the one who sends Prayers upon him, and hadith reports that encourage sending Prayers upon him, ?, unrestrictedly,
--------Point of Benefit,
-----[6]. Hadith reports that warn against neglecting to send Prayers upon the Prophet, ?,
-----[7]. Other issues concerning Prayers upon the Prophet, ?,
--------Does the Prophet, ?, benefit from our Prayers upon him?
--------Cultivating mindfulness in sending Prayers upon the Prophet, ?,
--------If a person sends Prayers upon the Prophet, ?, and says "by the number of Allah's creation" or a broad number, does he receive an equivalent reward, or does it count only as a single Prayer?
--------The ruling on compiling and sending Prayers upon the Prophet, ?, that are not taken directly from Hadith reports.

Section Two : The Muhammadan Litanies in Arabic,
----The Seventy Prayers,
----1. The Ibrahami Prayer,
----2. Imam al-Nawawi's preferred method of sending Prayers upon the Prophet, ?,
----3. Imam ibn Hajar al-Haytami's preferred method of sending Prayers upon the Prophet, ?, which he collected from the various transmitted and non-transmitted forumlas,
----4. A Prayer upon the Prophet, ?, taught by the Prophet, ?, himself and transmitted by Imam al-Sha'rani,
----5. Another Prayer upon the Prophet, ?, taught by the Prophet, ?, himself,
----6. Another Prayer upon the Prophet, ?, transmitted by Imam al-Sha'rani,
----7. Another Prayer upon the Prophet, ?, also transmitted by Imam al-Sha'rani,
----8. Another Prayer upon the Prophet, ?, again transmitted by Imam al-Sha'rani,
----9. A Prayer upon the Prophet, ?, related by the Companion Abu Sa'id al-Khudri,
----10. A Prayer upon the Prophet, ?, related by Khidr, alayhi salam,
----11. A Prayer upon the Prophet, ?, related by the Companion Anas b. Malik,
----12. Another Prayer upon the Prophet, ?, transmitted by the Prophet himself,
----13. A Prayer upon the Prophet, ?, transmitted by Imam al-Ghazali,
----14. A Prayer upon the Prophet, ?, transmitted by Shaykh Hasan al-'Adawi,
----15. Another Prayer upon the Prophet, ?, transmitted by Shaykh Hasan al-'Adawi,
----16. A Prayer upon the Prophet, ?, transmitted by Qadi 'Iyad in his al-Shifa,
----17. A Prayer upon the Prophet, ?, transmitted by Qadi 'Iyad in his al-Shifa, and Imam al-Jazuli in his Dalayl al-Khayrat,
----18. A Prayer upon the Prophet, ?, related by the Companion 'Abdullah b. Mas'ud,
----19. A Prayer upon the Prophet, ?, related by the Companion 'Abdullah b. 'Umar,
----20. A Prayer upon the Prophet, ?, transmitted by Imam al-Ghazali in his Ihya Ulum al-Din,
----21. Another Prayer upon the Prophet, ?, transmitted by Imam al-Ghazali in his Ihya Ulum al-Din,
----22. A Prayer upon the Prophet, ?, transmitted by al-Hasan al-Basri,
----23. A Prayer upon the Prophet, ?, transmitted by Majd al-Din al-Fayruzabadi, said to fulfill the oath of one who swears to invoke the very best Prayer upon the Prophet, ?,
----24. The Thousandfold Prayer upon the Prophet, ?, transmitted by Abu al-'Abbas Ahmad al-Hajiri,
----25. A Prayer upon the Prophet, ?, transmitted by Shaykh Abu 'Abdullah al-Nu'man,
----26. The Prayer of Rescue (al-Salat al-Munjiyya) transmitted by Shaykh Musa al-Darir,
----27. The Prayer of the Light of Resurrection (Salat al-Nur al-Qiyama),
----28. A Prayer upon the Prophet, ?, from Imam al-Shafi'i,
----29. Another Prayer upon the Prophet, ?, from Imam al-Shafi'i,
----30. The Prayer of Shaykh Abu al-Hasan al-Karkhi,
----31. The Prayer of Shaykh Abd al-Qadir al-Jilani,
----32. The Prayer of the Sun of the Supreme Treasure (Salat Shams al-Kanz al-A'zam) of Imam al-Ghazali (also said to be the Prayer of Shaykh Abd al-Qadir al-Jilani),
----33. The Prayer of the Qutb, Shaykh Ahmad al-Rifa'i,
----34. Another Prayer upon the Prophet, ?, from our master Shaykh Ahmad al-Rifa'i,
----35. Another Prayer upon the Prophet, ?, from our master Shaykh Ahmad al-Rifa'i,
----36. Another Prayer upon the Prophet, ?, from our master Shaykh Ahmad al-Rifa'i,
----37. The Prayer of our master Shaykh Ahmad al-Badawi,
----38. Another Prayer of our master Shaykh Ahmad al-Badawi,
----39. The Prayer of our master Ibrahim al-Dasuqi,
----40. The Prayer of the Essence (Salat al-Dhat) of our master al-Shaykh al-Akbar ibn 'Arabi,
----41. The Prayer of the Precious Gem (al-Yaqutiyya) of our master Muhammad al-Fasi,
----42. The Prayer of Imam Fakhr al-Din al-Razi,
----43. The Prayer of our master Shaykh Shams al-Din Muhammad al-Hanafi,
----44. The Prayer of our master Shaykh Ibrahim al-Matbuli,
----45. The Prayer of our master Shaykh Nur al-Din al-Shuni, called 'The Lamp Lighting Darkness in Prayers and Peace upon the Best of Humanity' (Misbah al-Zalam fi al-Salat wa al-Salam 'ala Khayr al-Anam),
----46. The Prayer of our master 'Abd al-Salam ibn Mashish (al-Salat al-Mashishiyya),
----47. The Prayer of the Light of the Essence (Salat al-Nur al-Dhatt) of our master Shaykh Abu al-Hasan al-Shadhili,
----48. The Greeting of Imam al-Nawawi,
----49. The Prayer of our master Shaykh Abu al-Mawahib al-Shadhili,
----50. The Prayer of the Opener (Salat al-Fatih) of Shaykh Muhammad al-Bakri,
----51. The Prayer of Those of High Resolve (Salat Uwli al-'Azm) from Imam al-Jazuli,
----52. The Prayer of Felicity (Salat al-Sa'ada),
----53. The Prayer of the Compassionate and Merciful (Salat al-Ra'uf l-Rahim),
----54. The Prayer of Perfection (al-Salat al-Kamiliyya),
----55. The Prayer of Bounties (al-Salat al-In'am),
----56. The Prayer of the One of Lofy Rank (Salat al-'Ali al-Qadr),
----57. The Prayer of our master Shaykh Ahmad al-Khujnadi,
----58. A Prayer upon the Prophet, ?, transmitted by Ibn 'Abidin,
----59. The Prayer of Shaykh Muhammad al-Sanusi,
----60. The Prayer of our master Shaykh 'Abd al-Ghani al-Nabulsi,
----61. The Prayer of our master Shaykh Muhammad al-Budayri,
----62. The Prayer of Shaykh Muhammad Haqqi Effendi al-Nazili,
----63. The Prayer of Relief (al-Salat al-Tafrijiyya),
----64. The Prayer of Tremendousness (al-Salat al-'Azimiyya), of our master Shaykh Ahmad b. Idris,
----65. A Prayer of our master Shaykh Ahmad b. Idris,
----66. Another Prayer of our master Shaykh Ahmad b. Idris,
----67. Another Prayer of our master Shaykh Ahmad b. Idris,
----68. Another Prayer of our master Shaykh Ahmad b. Idris,
----69. The Prayer of Sayyidi Shaykh Hasan Abu Halawa al-Ghazzi,
----70. The Greatest Prayer (al-Salat al-Kubra) of Shaykh 'Abd al-Qadir al-Jilani.

Section Three :
---Details about each of the Seventy Prayers,
-----Each of The Seventy Prayers translated and explained (English),

Notes:
---Appendix I. The Meaning of Sending Prayers and Peace upon the Prophet, ?, from Shaykh Ahmad b. Mustafa al-'Alawi's Dawhat al-Asrar,
---Appendix II. The Inner & Outer Etiquettes of Sending Prayers upon the Prophet, ?,
---Appendix III. Our Master Muhammad, ?, as the Prophet (Nabi), the Messenger (Rasul), and the Primordial (Ummi),
---Appendix IV. May Allah Send Prayers Upon You, O Light! - An Ode by Shaykh Ahmad b. Mustafa al-'Alawi,
---Appendix V. The Sources for the Famous Hadith of Jabir b. Abdullah,
---Appendix VI. The Meaning of the Saying "The Prophet, ?, was created from the Divine Essence."

Other works of Imam al-Nabahani,

More Awrad & Prayers,
Also see Durood/Salawat,

Also see Dalayl al-Khayrat,
Also see Qasidah al-Burdah,

Also see Shama'il books,
Also see Sirah books.